The Finding Tree

Chapter 19 - The Morning

It was dark, not even a sliver of light in the sky but the Ka-whanging on the door woke me from a deep sleep.

As the fog cleared in my brain, I looked at the digital numbers near my head and winced. I realized the noise was loud enough to wake all my neighbors as well as the floor monitor.

I jumped awake, bounced out of bed, and threw the door open. Clamping my hand over the perpetrator's mouth I dragged him and all his noisy trappings inside. He was clanking like a one man-band.

"What thee Hell... Peter!" I hissed. "It's not even four a.m. on a freakin' weekend!"

He grinned at me, the dimple doing it's damnedest to make me forgive him but not yet. Not this early and not while I'm standing in front of him with bed head and no pants.

Peter took in my appearance finally, and the grin widened. He dropped the backpack, and various metal pieces, including a canteen, four metal poles, a small hatchet, and a flashlight. None of it made an impression in my sleep foggy brain.

He focused on my hair, and his eyes eventually made it to my feet. I was twitching and fidgeting under his gaze, but then he laughed. Not just a chuckle, but a gut busting guffaw that bent him in the middle a bit.

Okay, I was pissed. I whacked him in the chest and dove back under my covers. "Go away Peter."

"Awww JJ, don't be that way. I was only laughing at the unicorn T-shirt. I mean come on, that shit's cute." He drew out the sound so it mimicked a California tween. "Kah-yeeewt."

I uncovered my face, and sat up full of righteous indignation. "What's wrong with my T-shirt?! I LIKE purple unicorns, they're mystical, magical and, and...."

"Appropriate for ten year olds?" Peter burbled in laughter.

"Shut UP Peter, Go Away!"

I flopped back down under my comforter, covering up everything...just to have my world ripped away from around me in the space of two seconds.
The comforter was suddenly missing, and I was very aware that the butterflies on my butt were on obvious display. Tugging on the purple unicorn T-shirt, I tried to cover my underwear, only to be jostled over by a large body.

"No can do, Kemosabe!" Peter sighed and stole my pillow, wadding it up under his head, and elbowing me in the face. He spread like a disease over my personal space, and I had to crawl over him to get out of bed. I aimed my knees and elbows for all the soft parts that the self-defense course taught me to target last summer.

I snickered as I heard a groan, a yelp, and an "ooff."

"Well if you won't leave, at least tell me why you're here in the middle of the night, and why you woke me up on a Saturday." My eyes were shooting sparks at him, the tapping foot and crossed arms were hopefully telling him how pissed I was.

Peter stood up, and walked to my desk, where I finally noticed two hot cups that I hadn't seen before. He reached for them both and handed me one, like a peace offering.

"Today's the Day, JJ!"

"Today's what day?"

I took the drink and sniffed it suspiciously. But my senses were overwhelmed by the candy scent of cocoa and marshmallows. "This is the good stuff from Sunshine, right?" Glaring at him, I took a sip, and almost melted. I even considered telling him "thank you."

"Only the best for you, JJ." His eyes twinkled.

Why couldn't I stay mad? I tried so hard to be angry when he was being an overbearing, impulsive asshole, but I just couldn't stay mad. That made me even angrier.

I sighed, sat at my desk chair, pulled on the ratty purple T-shirt, that was new when I was twelve and a size smaller. I tugged it over my knees stretching the thin fabric to its limits and tucked into the hot chocolate not really caring that the butterflies or my ass were on display.

"Today's the day I'm cashing in my favor. You're gonna carry my shit and we're going hiking!"

I jumped to my feet, all the anger and interest in cocoa dissipated. "Oh for cryinoutloud!...why didn't YOU SAY SO...you BRAT! I would have been up and ready."

"That wouldn't have been nearly as fun, and besides I would have missed this..." He gestured at my person, "...vision of loveliness. I mean the hair, that's just epic!"

He ducked the flying pillow as it was heading for the back of his skull and grabbed my wrist. I almost slopped my cocoa...and gasped in frustration, but I didn't fight him anymore.

He drew me close and smiled sweetly. "Okay, JJ... truce 'Kay? Go get ready! I want to be on the road by five, we have over an hour drive."

I squealed and ran to my closet, grabbing jeans, a turtleneck and a fleece jacket, my hiking boots and the fluffiest socks I could find. 

"What's the weather gonna be?" I asked as my back was turned.

I also tried to hide the clean undergarments I grabbed from my top drawer, but not before Mr. Observant caught me.

"It will be sunny and in the fifties, so what you picked is fine, and be sure and get some more undies with butterflies, those are my favorite." Peter snickered in his coffee, and barely was able to duck the boot I sent his way as I dashed into my half-bath and slammed the door.

---

"Come on, give me your hand JJ, you can make it up here." He wiggled his flushed fingers chapped red and raw from exertion and the brisk mountain air.

I was shimmying up the last twenty feet of the grey rock abutment that connected the trail above to the one below. I was behaving like a complete girl, and didnt really know why.

I loved hiking, I had endurance and fortitude for this kind of exercise, but it had been a few years. Peter was a wonderful partner. He didn't actually make me carry his shit, he was the one with the heavier pack that included extra water, radio, simple first aid kit and the secret meal he had been telling me about but hadn't shared yet. I could smell it ten feet away, and he was making me drool. Not that I'd ever admit it.

After we had chucked all our gear in his Pathfinder, earlier this morning, he gave me a Tiger's Milk Bar and a thermos of milk. That snack had dissipated an hour ago and my hands were shaky with hunger.

Pine Cobble Trail was beautiful. Originating from Williamstown, it was about an hour and a half drive from our school. I had never felt so free. We had meandered through the magnificent color of an oak forest, stopped on a bridge that crossed in front of a rock falls, and Peter had taken two disposable 35mm cameras full of pictures. Some of me, some of both of us as he turned the camera around, but most of them were landscape and tree photos. I was intrigued.

The fresh air, crisp fall weather and the company had made my cheeks pink, and my hair huge around my face. The bed head had overcome the half-assed braid I tried at four-thirty this morning, and everything had just exploded,

"Don't drop me!" I yelped as I hung onto Peter's hand and heaved myself up the last few feet.  Tumbling over the edge I layed there like a trout gasping for air.

He knelt down and offered me his steel canteen. I gulped greedily, sat up and examined it.

"I need one of these if we're gonna do this again."

"I'll get you one, don't worry. Hurry up, the best part is up ahead, and I'm hungry!"

"Sorry, I'm a dawdler... " I smiled and looked at him as I got to my feet again. "I've just missed this."

I reached over and patted the trunk of a small Beech.

Peter looked with soft eyes, and grabbed my hand again. This time there was no reason other than he wanted to. I had no reason to reject him, so I didn't. We continued on... together, and the feel of his skin on mine was making me happier than I'd ever been.

I sent a small prayer out to the rising forest and sky.  "Thank you for today," I whispered to the tree in my heart.